Alabama Notebook: Upchurch rehab going 'extremely well'

Monday, December 29, 2008

Huntsville Times

Upchurch rehab going 'extremely well'

NEW ORLEANS - Alabama junior tailback Roy Upchurch appears
to be on a path to recovery by next season. His
rehabilitation from neck surgery "is going extremely
well," said Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban.

Upchurch underwent a procedure to address neck spasms soon
after the SEC title game loss to Florida. He is out for
Friday's Sugar Bowl against Utah, but traveled to New
Orleans and has been at practice wearing a black, no-contact
jersey.

"Roy has to be careful about what he does for two or
three months, because he doesn't want to damage what
has been repaired," Saban said. "I think in a few
months he will be able to start working out again and that
will be the real key as to how much confidence he develops
physically."

Saban said he underwent the same surgery as Upchurch.
Alabama's coach returned to work the next day, noting
that "With this type of procedure, you don't have
a lot of pain. You just have to allow it to heal. We are
talking about bones, so it takes a while."

Peek's progress: Tight end transfer Colin Peek missed
practice Sunday and was wearing a protective boot on his
left foot.

"He developed a little bit of a foot injury late in the
season, just playing on the scout team," Saban said.
"Even though he has practiced some with the first two
teams, that has limited him a little bit and might affect
his preparation for the game."

Peek is eligible for the Sugar Bowl after sitting out the
entire 2008 regular season due to NCAA transfer guidelines.
He started his career at Georgia Tech, but departed because
of the lack of a tight end in first-year coach Paul
Johnson's offense.

Field trip: Utah coach Kyle Whittingham brought his team back to one of his favorite haunts on Sunday, as the Utes watched Carolina's 33-31 victory over the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome....